What Lies Beneath
by AquilaTempestas
Summary: Diego wants nothing more but to have a litter of his own, but Shira keeps avoiding the topic. With some advice from a friend, Diego finds the courage to bring the matter up with Shira to unearth the truth. [ORIGINALLY UPLOADED 2016]


_Diego wants nothing more but to have a litter of his own, but Shira keeps avoiding the topic. With some advice from a friend, Diego finds the courage to bring the matter up with Shira to unearth the truth._

A/N - Another old re-upload!

**.**

Everyone was talking about families and having children and here Diego was, sitting on the edge of the ledge, overlooking the herds of animals grazing on the fresh grass. Even Peaches, young as she was, was discussing having baby mammoths were her partner, Julian. Diego would never admit it aloud, but he too wanted offspring of his own. Unfortunately, every time he brought the matter up with Shira, the feline changed the topic.

She'd come up with a list of excuses first: 'I don't think I'm ready for that level of commitment yet, Diego' or 'I have no idea where to begin' and even 'I'm still adjusting to this life away from the crew'. It wasn't like they were strangers – they had been together for a few months now so it wasn't like she didn't love him. There had to be a deeper reason for it and breeding season wasn't one of them. Sabres didn't come into heat like other female mammals did. Female sabres were ready to breed as soon as they reached mature age and weren't suckling cubs.

"Why the long face, Diego?"

A female voice. Ellie. He lifted his head up from his paws and sighed. "It's nothing that would concern you."

Ellie snorted. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that avoiding your problems caused more harm than good?" She nudged him gently with her trunk, prompting him to rise to his feet. He gave her an irritated look. "You're feeling conflicted, aren't you? You want one thing, but also don't want it at the same time."

He flattened his ears against his head. "No. What makes you think that?"

"I know that look. You want something but you're afraid to talk about it because you think it'll make you weak."

"Shouldn't you be more worried with Peaches and Julian's upcoming wedding plans than having a deep and meaningful conversation with me?" he said, trying to give Ellie the hint he didn't want to talk. Unfortunately, Ellie was stubborn. Never had he met a mammoth with such strength of mind. She continued to look at him. He sighed. "It's… Shira, all right? We've got problems, but we can't talk about them because she avoids the topic every time it's brought up. What am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to me, Diego."

Well, might as well carry on talking now that he had started. "I never thought I'd say this, but… I want cubs. I've watched Peaches grow up, and I'm glad I've played a role in protecting her, but it's not the same, you know? A baby mammoth isn't a baby sabre… No offense or anything."

Ellie smiled. "None taken."

"And when I try to talk to her about it she either comes up with an excuse or avoids the question all together. We just keep going around in circles. I don't understand what she's so worried about – I'm not going to leave her side ever." He sat back down on the ground again, pressing his belly against the snow. Although it was spring, not all the grass shoots had sprouted yet.

"She's scared, Diego. Becoming a mother isn't an easy decision to make. When Manny and I first came together, I was like Shira – I didn't want children. I didn't want that sort of responsibility. I just wanted to travel with Crash and Eddie and see the world. Having a family never even occurred to me…. But I changed my mind."

He looked up at her, puzzled. "But why? What made you suddenly decide that you wanted a family when you were so dead against it before?"

"I gave it a lot of thought. It's a big commitment to take, but the thought of having your own offspring to raise and nurture was not an opportunity I wanted to turn down. You turn it down now, and you may never have that chance again. It's difficult, I know first-hand, but the end result is worth it. Not everyone can be a parent, but I know Shira would make a great mother." She smiled again.

His mood didn't lift. What if Shira couldn't bear cubs? Maybe that's why she avoided the topic all together. Maybe that's why she left her pack – because she was barren, and a female sabre who couldn't give birth was useless. It would make sense that she joined a motley group of wayward lost misfits if that was her reason. "Maybe she can't…" he replied, his mood dampening further.

"Would that change how you feel about her?"

"Of course not," he replied with a frown. "Barren or not, Shira means the world to me."

"But you'd be disappointed if it was true."

"I just… I didn't know my parents. They were both killed by hunters, and I was left with a tyrant for a leader. We were just five sabre bachelors roaming the lands, searching for other females so we could expand our pack… But there were no females to be found. I kinda thought that perhaps it was fate – maybe some sabres were just meant to be alone." He snorted, and flicked some snow off the side of the ledge. "But sabres don't survive for long on their own."

"So Shira is the first female sabre you've come across since your mother died."

He nodded. "My mother and Soto's mate. I just wish Shira would confide in me, you know? Whatever happened to her in the past… I want to know so I can help her overcome it. She's safe with the herd, but I don't think she has become accustomed to it yet." He climbed to his feet again, unsettled.

"You need to talk with her, Diego. Make her feel like she's part of the herd. Make her understand that she has your support. The past doesn't matter anymore – it's the future you need to look forward to because that remains unknown." She gave him a light tap on the back with her trunk as a sign of comfort. "You're a good sabre, Diego. Any female would be lucky to call you as her mate. It may seem tough now, but I know you and Shira will overcome this."

"Ellie!" Manny called. "We're playing a game of ice hockey and I need you as my partner!"

Ellie rolled her eyes and gave an impatient sigh. "I better go or I will never hear the end of it. If you ever need to talk you know where I'll be all right? I've got your back." She smiled at him once more then walked off to join her family leaving Diego alone once more.

He watched the animals grazing down below for a few moments longer then decided it was time to leave. No more stalling and procrastinating. He was going to talk to Shira about this and resolve it today. Drawing in a deep breath, he returned to the den.

Fortunately, Shira was at home. Good. That meant he wouldn't have to wait longer.

She lifted her head and smiled at him as he entered. "I thought you had gone out for a hunt."

Diego approached her and greeted her with an affectionate nuzzle. "That was the plan, but they're all bunched together." That was the number one reason why sabres couldn't live solitary lives – their prey was made up of herd animals. It took a pack of sabres to separate the weak from the healthy. "I wanted to talk to you about something, Shira."

"I'm listening."

"It's about our future."

"We've been through this before, Diego."

"But we never solve it." Refusing to sit down, he paced back and forth instead. "I just want to know why you keep avoiding the topic. Is it me you're unsure of because I promise you, I would never abandon you, Shira. I didn't believe in love until you entered my life and changed my perspective, and I want to take the next step in our lives together as parents." He stopped pacing and looked at her once more, hoping he hadn't spoken too rashly. Maybe he was trying to push things too much.

Shira looked down at her paws, and he felt his heart sink. Had he blown it? Scared her off somehow? "I'm sorry Diego," she said softly, still glancing down at her paws, "but I just can't do this. I can't be a mother."

He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel disappointed. It was like having a part of you die inside, but he tried not to let his disappointment show. "…Is that why you left your pack? Because you couldn't be a mother?"

She frowned, then said, "…I can't go back to that life, Diego."

"You never spoke of your previous life."

"And you never spoke to me of yours."

Fair call. He had told her that he had abandoned his pack, but never really explained why. "My pack… I turned my back on them, Shira. They wanted to do something that went against my convictions and I couldn't… just stand by and let them kill an innocent human child even if the baby was an enemy to us. I betrayed them. I allied with Manny and Sid and together we defeated the alpha." He looked away, ashamed. What would she think of him now? A mate who could not be trusted?

"You turned against your own pack… To protect the enemy," Shira repeated.

"Our alpha wasn't thinking straight. He was blinded by desire for revenge. If he had gone through with it… our entire pack would've perished that day." She was silent now. Did she want to run? Was she plotting an escape route now? Did she regret leaving Gutt for him? "Please… talk to me. If you're disappointed, tell me. If you think I'm too soft, let me know."

"I'm not disappointed, Diego," she said, slowly rising to her feet. "...You're not like other sabres. I thought that perhaps living in a herd had made you soft, but I thought wrong. You're not soft – you're stronger than I ever could be and that's why I can't give you what you want. I left my pack for that reason – my brothers and our alpha were killed by a rival pack made up of bachelors. My sisters had cubs, but they were killed too, and I… I couldn't live through that again. I watched as the cubs were strangled to death… I heard their squeals for help, and I was powerless to stop them." She looked down, tears filling her eyes. "The males… they abused us over and over again… I couldn't take it anymore and I ran away during the night whilst they were hunting."

"You don't ever have to be afraid again, Shira," Diego said, dropping down besides her. "We're a herd – not a pack. All the obstacles we've faced, we have overcome together. _I _would never let you come to harm." If he ever crossed paths with the male sabres that had done this to Shira, he would ensure they never lived to see the end of the day. No wonder she was so reluctant to breed. An experience like that would put anyone off.

Shira looked at him. "…I know you'd do anything for me."

"Anything to make you feel safe. I'm willing to wait for you." He placed a single paw over hers.

A smile spread across her face. "…You won't have to wait long."

He straightened, hopeful. "You mean…?"

"…Yes. I want the same future you do."

Needless to say the entire process had been quite long and tiring. The courtship ritual lasted five long days of mating every fifteen minutes. Not only had it been a long process, it was also quite a heated violent affair. Fights often broke out between the two cats during the mating. Diego had numerous cuts over his body where Shira had attacked him.

But it had been worth it. After almost four months later, Shira had given birth to four healthy cubs - three males and one female who had inherited her mother's rare coating. The males all shared Diego's golden fur. Right now the cubs remained in the den with their mother. They were only a few days' old still and blind. While Shira nursed the cubs, Diego hunted. He spent hours hunting smaller prey to take back to the den. If the cubs were to survive, the parents needed a great deal of food.

On his way back to the den he spotted Ellie standing nearby beneath one of the trees. She was alone. Diego dropped his young fawn in between some rocks and trotted over to join Ellie. "You look like you're ready to collapse," she said in a teasing manner as Diego caught his breath. "Shira keeping you busy?"

"Always," he admitted.

"I can't wait to see them."

"And I can't wait to introduce them to the rest of the herd."

She smiled. "I'm glad it worked out for you, Diego."

"Your advice helped. Thank you."

She nodded, and rubbed his head with her trunk. "You should probably carry on with your duties. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

He shuddered at the thought. An angry hormonal female sabre was frightening. "I'll see you later. Bye Ellie." He turned his back and returned to his meal, clamping his powerful jaws around the corpse. He headed to the den. Back to family.


End file.
